me and mars......

there is no way i could talk about the highlights of 2010 without mentioning mars.... 30 Seconds to Mars (or 'mars' or '30stm' or 'jared leto's band'). 30 Seconds to Mars is a rock band that was a big part of my life in 2010. the band consists of singer/guitarist jared leto (you'll hear more about him another day!), drummer shannon leto (yes, jared's older brother) and guitarist tomo milicevic (i still don't know how to correctly pronounce his last name). their first album came out in 2003, but i didn't really become a fan until 2007ish. i had heard some of their songs, but wasn't really into 'that type of music' at the time. in december 2009 their 3rd album came out (called This is War) and i loooooved it. i bought the album the day it came out and i drove around aimlessly just so i could listen to all the songs in my car :) my 'obsession' with the band/music was then raised to the next level. i had never been to 1 of their concerts before this album came out. now, i have seen them 6 times in the past 14 months! the very first time i saw them perform was at a private, acoustic show in LA. there were 40 (or less) people there, and it was a very intimate, very personal, very special show... it also happened to be my 29th birthday!!!! the last time i saw them perform was last night :) i've never, ever, ever, ever been to a show quite like a mars show. i've been to quite a few concerts, everyone from pink floyd to britney spears, and they are special in their own way... but they aren't a mars show! even if you don't like their music at all, i really encourage you to see 1 of their shows. jared leto is an amazing front man and entertainer. he has said many times before "when you come to a show, you're not a spectator, you're part of the band", and he's not lying! i've never seen so much crowd participation - from stomping, clapping, jumping, to shockingly loud backup vocals from the audience.... it's fun for everyone! if you look like you're not having fun, jared will stop in the middle of a song and ask you what is wrong with you (i'm not kidding, he will call you out! don't believe me??... watch a video i filmed at the LA show, click HERE). he wants everybody to participate and "have the best night of their entire f'n lives" (he drops the f-bomb about 500 times each show. you won't notice it after awhile though). there are many times where jared won't sing entire verses and the crowd takes over. it's an awesome thing to hear thousands of people singing together, it gives me goosebumps & butterflies every time. (did i mention he looks like an angel when he sings?! oh i forgot that part, oops, my bad. this isn't my video, but you can see his angel face HERE)
here are some pics from my 6 mars shows :)

tomo & i after the LA acoustic show - nov. 2009

91x wrex the halls festival, san diego - dec. 2009

the next show was by far my favorite mars show, and probably most favorite memory of 2010. i drove to vegas (got stuck in traffic, it took 6 hours to get there, didn't have time to shower, didn't have time to retouch makeup, didn't have time to eat, barely had time to change my sweaty road-trip clothes) and got to meet the guys AND film the entire show with their camera. i got to watch/film the whole show from the 'photographers pit', which is at the edge of the stage, where fans aren't allowed! haaaa, how do you like that?! after the show, i went to bed (barely) and left early the next morning. not even in vegas 12 hours, but it was worth every sweaty minute of the drive up there, and every sleepless minute that night. it was indescribable! 

me, shannon, jared, jeremy (another filmer), tomo & chris (another filmer)

pearl theater at the palms, las vegas - april 2010

this pic was taken by a fan, that's me filming jared :)

vegas - april 2010

greek theater, los angeles - may 2010

epicenter fest, fontana - september 2010 (it was 106º that day, yuck)

house of blues, san diego - jan. 2011

i could go on and on and on about the shows, the guys, etc but this is a super long post as it is..... so, that's it for now. i'm so grateful to have these wonderful memories. jared, shannon and tomo are the nicest, warmest, most humble, almost normal people. i feel blessed to have met them. this won't be my last post about mars. i'm sure i will go to a lot more shows, given the opportunity. and as you know, i take my camera everywhere i go, so there will definitely be more pics and vids in the future. until next time........